What Industrial Steel & Wire does

Industrial Steel & Wire (ISW) is a third-generation, family-owned industrial wire distribution company founded in 1935 by Dr. Harry Furlong in Chicago and currently led by President Dr. Brian Furlong. The company distributes a broad portfolio of industrial wire products spanning carbon steel, stainless steel, music wire, basic wire, non-ferrous alloys, cold-heading quality (CHQ) wire, and specialty grades (Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel), serving North American manufacturers across 18+ verticals including aerospace, automotive, agriculture, medical devices, fasteners, oil & gas, and construction.

The underlying business is physical distribution and value-added processing: ISW sources wire from industrial mills, holds inventory across six North American warehouse/service centers (Chicago IL, Bristol CT, Cleveland OH, Lewisburg TN, Toronto ONT, and Querétaro MEX) totaling over 400,000 sq ft, and offers in-house secondary processing including torsion straightening (diameters .0300"–.1250"), cut-to-length, slitting, and tension-leveling, along with custom packaging formats. The company operates an ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system with DFARs-compliant material, eddy current and salt-spray testing, and a multi-compliance posture (REACH, RoHS, TSCA, PFAS, Prop 65, Conflict Minerals). Digital infrastructure is conventional: a quote-driven web funnel, e-commerce-style Orange Dot Sale clearance channel, free "The Squeeze" Raw Material Exchange network, and content marketing via the "Inside the Dot" blog and "The Live Wire" newsletter; no public API, software products, or AI/ML capabilities are offered.

ISW monetizes primarily through per-pound/per-coil hardware resale of industrial wire, supplemented by fee-based value-added processing services, a discounted excess-inventory clearance channel (Orange Dot Sale), and a free marketplace exchange that strengthens customer relationships without direct transaction revenue. Pricing is quote-based with standard terms of 1/2% discount if paid within 10 days, otherwise net 30, payable in US Dollars; specialty grade quotes are delivered within 24 hours and AM orders ship same day. The go-to-market motion is inside sales targeting mid-market and enterprise buyers across procurement, engineering, and sourcing personas, with no third-party resellers or distribution partners.

Name

Industrial Steel & Wire

Legal name

Industrial Steel & Wire

Website

https://industeel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Industrial Steel & Wire is a third-generation, family-owned industrial wire distributor founded in 1935, supplying carbon, stainless, music, basic, CHQ, non-ferrous, and specialty grade wire to North American manufacturers across 18+ verticals from six regional warehouses totaling 400,000+ sq ft.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Wire Distribution

NAICS

Rolling and Drawing of Purchased Steel (33122), Spring and Wire Product Manufacturing (3326)

SIC

Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling & Finishing Mills (3310)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Service Centers & Processing (Slitting, Cut-to-Length, Blanking, Leveling) (IMAKABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Steel Products Trading & Service Centers (Flat, Long, Pipe & Tube, Rebar) (IMAKAJAB)

Keywords

• Industrial wire distribution
• Stainless steel wire
• Carbon steel wire
• Cold heading wire
• Wire processing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Industrial Wire Distribution: Core revenue from distribution (warehousing and reselling) of carbon steel, stainless steel, basic, music wire, cold heading quality, and non-ferrous wire sourced from industrial mills. Per-pound/per-coil hardware resale model.
2. Value-Added Processing Services: Fee-based secondary operations including torsion straightening, cut-to-length, slitting, and tension-leveling services provided to manufacturers in addition to raw wire supply.
3. Orange Dot Sale (Excess Inventory Disposal): Weekly discounted sale of select excess inventory items tagged with an 'Orange Dot' — clearance channel to monetize slow-moving stock at discounted prices.
4. 'The Squeeze' Raw Material Exchange (Free): ISW provides a free-of-charge exchange listing service connecting buyers and sellers of excess/slow-moving wire inventory; ISW does not transact on these sales but uses the network to strengthen customer relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Industrial Steel & Wire (ISW) is a third-generation, family-owned industrial wire distributor that sources carbon steel, stainless steel, music wire, basic wire, non-ferrous wire, cold heading quality (CHQ) wire, and specialty alloys (Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel) from industrial mills and resells them to North American manufacturers from six warehouse/service centers totaling 400,000+ sq. ft. The company layers value-added services — torsion straightening, cut-to-length, slitting, tension-leveling, custom packaging, eddy current testing, and salt-spray testing — on top of its raw wire inventory, and operates the Orange Dot Sale discount program and 'The Squeeze' free raw material exchange as customer-facing channels.

Product overview

Industrial Steel & Wire (ISW) operates as a single-line business — a family-owned industrial wire distribution company — rather than a multi-product software platform. Its core offering is a portfolio of physical wire products organized into seven stock categories: Stainless Steel Wire, Carbon Steel Wire, Music Wire, Basic Wire, Non-Ferrous Wire, Cold Heading Quality (CHQ) Wire, and Specialty Grade Wire (Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel). Layered on top of these products are Custom Services (torsion straightening, packaging options), the recurring Orange Dot Sale discount program for excess inventory, and "The Squeeze" Raw Material Exchange for Wire, which is a free exchange connecting buyers and sellers of slow-moving wire stock. Supporting materials include the ISW Line Card PDF, the "Inside the Dot" blog, and "The Live Wire" customer newsletter, and the entire portfolio is supported by an ISO 9001:2015-certified quality system and six North American warehouse locations covering more than 400,000 sq. ft.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Squeeze - Raw Material Exchange for Wire: A free raw material exchange service operated by ISW that connects sellers of slow-moving or excess wire inventory with buyers across ISW's network, updated weekly.
• Orange Dot Sale

Products and services

• Stainless Steel Wire A full line of stainless steel spring wire, soft & off-temper wires, and specialty stainless steel wires including Type 302/304, Type 316, and 17/7 PH per ASTM A-313 and ASTM A-580; sold to manufacturers serving aerospace, medical, marine, and industrial applications.
• Carbon Steel Wire Carbon steel spring wire products — Bright Hard Drawn, Galvanized Hard Drawn, Oil Tempered, Square Oil Tempered, and Oil Tempered Chrome Silicon — for appliance, automotive, and other critical spring applications.
• Music Wire High-carbon steel wire (piano or spring wire) with high tensile strength, fatigue resistance, and elasticity; available as Phosphate Coated, Galvanized, and Tinned or Cadmium Plated per ASTM A-228. Used for piano strings, springs, wire forms, fishing lures, and surgical tools.
• Basic Wire C1006/1008/1010 basic wire supplied as Bright Basic Plating Quality (ASTM A-510, A-853), Bright Basic Industrial Quality (ASTM A-510, A-853), and Galvanized Basic (ASTM A-510, A-641) across a broad diameter range.
• Non-Ferrous Wire Non-ferrous wire products including C51000 Phosphor Bronze (ASTM B-159), C26000 Cartridge Brass (ASTM B-134), C17200 Beryllium Copper Bare (ASTM B-197), and C17200 Beryllium Copper Silver Coated (ASTM B-197).
• Cold Heading Quality (CHQ) Wire Steel wire designed for cold heading applications such as bolts, nuts, screws, and rivets. Available in carbon grades C-1006 through C-1080, alloy grades 1300/1500/4000/4100 series and Boron grades, with coatings including Zinc Phosphate, Lime, Borax, Phos Lube, and Polymer, and thermal treatments SAFS, SAIP, and DFAR per ASTM F 2282-18.
• Specialty Grade Wire Specialty alloy wires for challenging projects, including Inconel, Hastelloy, and Monel grades, with specific chemistry inquiries welcomed and 24-hour-or-less special project quotes.
• Custom Wire Processing Services Value-added wire processing and packaging services: in-house torsion straightening for diameters .0300"–.1250" (all grades except Oil Tempered, Chrome Silicon, Basic 1008, and Basic Galvanized), plus flexible packaging options (continuous coils on carriers, catch weight/mill coils, reel-less cores, reels, spools).
• Orange Dot Sale A weekly discount program on selected excess inventory items (tagged with an Orange Dot), offering ready-to-ship high-quality wire at discounted prices across Spring Wire and Cold Heading Wire categories; published via a public flyer and sold direct through the ISW website.
• 'The Squeeze' Raw Material Exchange for Wire A free raw-material exchange service that connects sellers of slow-moving or excess wire inventory with buyers across ISW's network. Listings are updated weekly and posted in a publicly shared PDF; participants may remain anonymous.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sales grew from $180,000 in 1965 to over $50 million by 1996 (a 270x+ increase over three decades)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Service Steel & Wire Co. Mid-sized North American steel and wire service center/distributor offering similar product breadth (carbon, stainless, aluminum, specialty) with value-added processing. Most direct comparable to ISW in size, model, and customer base.
• Taubensee Steel & Wire Co. Family-owned wire service center/distributor focused on carbon, stainless, and specialty wire for spring and fastener manufacturers. Closely matches ISW's product portfolio, customer segments, and value-added processing capabilities.
• Gibbs Wire & Steel Co. Wire and strip steel distributor serving OEMs and contract manufacturers across North America. Direct competitor in spring wire, CHQ wire, and value-added processing (slitting, cut-to-length).
• Loos & Co. Specialty wire and cable manufacturer/distributor (now part of PCC/Portland Wire) serving aerospace, medical, and industrial markets with stainless, nickel alloy, and carbon wire. Comparable in specialty grade depth (Inconel/Hastelloy/Monel) to ISW's Specialty Grade offering.
• Central Wire Industries: Manufacturer and distributor of specialty wire and wire rope in stainless, nickel alloys, brass, and bronze. Comparable to ISW's Specialty Grade and Non-Ferrous categories and serves overlapping aerospace, marine, and industrial customers.
• Farmers Copper & Industrial Supply: Specialty metals distributor focused on copper, brass, bronze, and other non-ferrous alloys with in-house processing. Comparable to ISW's Non-Ferrous Wire line and shares similar mid-sized service-center/distributor profile.

Broad incumbents

• Ryerson: Public, multi-billion-dollar North American metal service center chain with broad product portfolio (carbon, stainless, aluminum) and extensive value-added processing. Larger and broader than ISW but overlapping in steel and stainless distribution.
• Reliance Steel & Aluminum: Largest North American metal service center company with hundreds of locations and >$15B revenue. Overlaps with ISW in carbon/stainless steel and processed wire products but operates at vastly greater scale across many metal categories.
• Kloeckner Metals: Digital-forward metal service center serving North America and Europe with e-commerce, instant pricing, and broad product portfolio. Overlaps with ISW in carbon/stainless/specialty steel distribution but at much larger scale with a more modern digital channel.
• O'Neal Steel: Family-owned metal service center with nationwide footprint offering carbon, stainless, and aluminum products plus value-added processing. Larger and broader than ISW but comparable in family-ownership history and service-center model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IndustrialSteelandWire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/industrial-steel-&-wire-co-

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Industrial Steel & Wire